


While It Lasts

by Ludella



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Scenario, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-14
Updated: 2013-07-14
Packaged: 2017-12-20 04:39:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/883040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ludella/pseuds/Ludella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scheherazade's real body is at its limit. At best it will die in a month... at worst in just a few days... That's why, Titus, I want you to spend your last moments with the people dear to you. They are in Magnostadt, yes? Alternate scenario in which Kou did not appear and the war has ended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	While It Lasts

He tries to remain optimistic when Titus must lean on him to walk

 

Sphintus minds at first, panicking that they must hurry

To see the higher mages again to have him treated

But Titus shakes his head and holds onto his arm

He says he already did

 

Classes finished long ago along with the chaos caused by Reim

And Sphintus figures it for the better.

All students are required to assist in rebuild and reform of the country

They sweep the streets

They rebuild the houses

They collect the dead

 

When Instructor Myers approaches him one day

While he is carrying a new walking staff to his temporary home

And begins to reprimand Sphintus for not giving aid

He expresses that neither had Titus

Who needs aid himself

And she keeps others from bothering him afterwards

 

Titus spends most of his days in bed once Sphintus moves in

His legs ache with every movement and it is a relief to stay off of them

And it is easy to do when he's been reassured

That the house is taken care of

And that Marga is taken care of

 

Marga calls it a sleepover when she and Sphintus stay the night in Titus's room

Which is not the largest room in the house

And actually very small

And Marga has to sleep on top of him

Sphintus sleeps on the floor with the blankets from her bed

Though he wakes many times to check on them

 

Sometimes

Titus makes his way to the kitchen before meals

And snitches bits of food from beneath Sphintus's arm while he cooks

While they speak as if they've lived together

For years

 

Marga eventually convinces him to make the trek

To sit outside in the small grove bordering their house

Sphintus helps him to a bench where they sit together

And his cane is set aside

And Marga picks and shows them flowers

And Titus never knew they had so many names

 

Nobody says anything

When Titus no longer sneaks downstairs

And the cane Sphintus brought him

Is put away

And they all bring their meals

To his bedroom

 

Soon after that it is his hands that begin to stop

And he reports an ache in every joint of his arm

Sphintus leaves the house more often than usual

And comes back in the evening with larger books

With smaller words

And presses more poultices onto his fingers

And for a while

It works

 

But one day they're eating

And Marga sits at the foot of the bed

Sphintus is connected to Titus's hip

And his robe is stained

When Titus drops his spoon on his lap

Accidentally

 

He asks Marga to leave the room

And for the first time

Sphintus sleeps in his bed

And is clung to

As Titus tries to hold his hands

 

That night Sphintus thinks

That his biggest mistake in life was never learning to be

Romantic

And that if he was

He would kiss Titus's fingers

And lock their hands together

Until he stopped crying

 

But he isn't

Romantic

And he holds his hands tightly

But never locks them

And leans his cheek on Titus's head

Because there's nothing more he knows how to do

 

Within a week

Titus lies propped up against many pillows

They're expensive and silk

And feel good on his back

As gifts from their teachers

Marga enjoys them

But says they should have visited instead

And Sphintus must explain that

They couldn't have done anything else

Because there's nothing more they know how to do

 

Much to all of their delight

Sphintus learns how to carry Titus

And brings him to the kitchen while he cooks sometimes

Marga is at the stove as well

Learning from him how to keep milk from burning

And how to tell meat is cooked from the outside

 

Titus comments from behind them

Whining until Marga skips up to him

And feeds him a piece of fruit she cut herself

But that's all he can get

Before he's coughing again

And Sphintus is at his side in seconds

 

When he can no longer move his shoulders

And can only turn his head

Marga takes responsibility

She begins cooking

And Sphintus never leaves his room

In case he must use his magic again

To stop another fit of coughs

 

 

It's the nights that scare him most

When he's watching Titus's chest

Rise and fall

Rise and fall

And begins to worry if it should ever fall still

Would his lungs be trapped

Or would his heart be forced to stop first

He no longer sleeps

And smiles at him when Titus awakens

 

 

At the one month mark

Titus finds himself most comforted

When Sphintus takes his hands

And moves his fingers for him while they talk

And is most upset

When a panic attack takes control of his body

And Sphintus must use magic to put him to sleep

It's not the feeling of being forced to submit that bothers him

Nor is it the loss of control he even has over himself

But the expression he has to watch

When Sphintus casts the spell

 

 

There are still small happinesses that keep the three going

When the stallman begins giving Marga extras

When Sphintus prepares a new recipe and his recipients rejoice

When Titus stops a fit on his own will

They make it day by day

Gathering on a small bed to eat

And spending the day laughing and smiling

And for all three it's something that most seemed to have

That they were only living now

But their family was

Happy

 

Titus wakes regularly in the middle of the night

A week after one month

And can't move his neck to even look at Sphintus

And can't move his lips to speak to him

But already knowing

The latter moves his hands for him

And sometimes even

Will kiss his mouth

Until he is asleep again

 

At one week past one month

The rise and fall

Rise and fall

Rise and fall

Rises

And cracks

And falls

 

At a year

The yard is inhabited more often than the house

Sphintus sits on the bench

As Marga picks and brings him flowers

And he never knew they had so many names


End file.
